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2023

Lucija Rebula, Andrej Raspor, Mojca Bavčar, Aleš Štrancar and Maja Leskovec

Journal of Chromatography B, Volume 1217, 15 February 2023

Bacteriophages represent immense potential as therapeutic agents. Many of the most compelling applications of bacteriophages involve human therapy, some pertinent to gene therapy, others involving antibiotic replacement. Phages themselves are considered safe for humans. However, phage lysates may contain many kinds of harmful by-products, especially endotoxins of gram-negative bacteria and protein toxins produced by many pathogenic bacterial species. In bacteriophage research and therapy, most applications ask for highly purified phage suspensions, as such it is crucial to reduce proteins, endotoxins, DNA and other contaminants.
In this article we present an efficient two-step chromatographic purification method for P. aeruginosa bacteriophage PP-01, using Convective Interaction Media (CIM®) monoliths, that is cGMP compliant and easy to scale-up for most stringent production of the therapeutic phage. First chromatographic step on CIMmultus OH resulted in 100% bacteriophage recovery with a reduction of 98 % protein and more than 99 % DNA content. Polishing was conducted using three different column options, CIMmultus with QA, H-Bond and PrimaS ligands. For PP-01 bacteriophage all three different options worked, but multimodal ligands H-Bond and PrimaS outperformed traditional QA in endotoxin removal (7 log step reduction). Additionally, an HPLC analytical method was developed to estimate phage concentration and impurity profile in different in-process samples. The HPLC method shows good correlation with drop assay titration, provides useful insights and can be run very fast with just 20 min per sample analysis.

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2020

Hietala V, Horsma-Heikkinen J, Carron A, Skurnik M, Kiljunen S.

Frontiers in microbiology vol. 10 1674. 23 Jul. 2019

Abstract

The production of phages for therapeutic purposes demands fast, efficient and scalable purification procedures. Phage lysates have a wide range of impurities, of which endotoxins of gram-negative bacteria and protein toxins produced by many pathogenic bacterial species are harmful to humans. The highest allowed endotoxin concentration for parenterally applied medicines is 5 EU/kg/h. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of different purification methods in endotoxin and protein toxin removal in the production of phage preparations for clinical use. In the purification assays, we utilized three phages: Escherichia phage vB_EcoM_fHoEco02, Acinetobacter phage vB_ApiM_fHyAci03, and Staphylococcus phage vB_SauM_fRuSau02. The purification methods tested in the study were precipitation with polyethylene glycol, ultracentrifugation, ultrafiltration, anion exchange chromatography, octanol extraction, two different endotoxin removal columns, and different combinations thereof. The efficiency of the applied purification protocols was evaluated by measuring phage titer and either endotoxins or staphylococcal enterotoxins A and C (SEA and SEC, respectively) from samples taken from different purification steps. The most efficient procedure in endotoxin removal was the combination of ultrafiltration and EndoTrap HD affinity column, which was able to reduce the endotoxin-to-phage ratio of vB_EcoM_fHoEco02 lysate from 3.5 × 104 Endotoxin Units (EU)/109 plaque forming units (PFU) to 0.09 EU/109 PFU. The combination of ultrafiltration and anion exchange chromatography resulted in ratio 96 EU/109 PFU, and the addition of octanol extraction step into this procedure still reduced this ratio threefold. The other methods tested either resulted to less efficient endotoxin removal or required the use of harmful chemicals that should be avoided when producing phage preparations for medical use. Ultrafiltration with 100,000 MWCO efficiently removed enterotoxins from vB_SauM_fRuSau02 lysate (from 1.3 to 0.06 ng SEA/109 PFU), and anion exchange chromatography reduced the enterotoxin concentration below 0.25 ng/ml, the detection limit of the assay.

Keywords: antibiotic resistance, bacteriophage, phage therapy, endotoxin, enterotoxin

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2015

J-P Pirnay et al.

Pharm Res, Springer, 14 Jan 2015

The worldwide antibiotic crisis has led to a renewed interest in phage therapy. Since time immemorial phages control bacterial populations on Earth. Potent lytic phages against bacterial pathogens can be isolated from the environment or selected from a collection in a matter of days. In addition, phages have the capacity to rapidly overcome bacterial resistances, which will inevitably emerge.
To maximally exploit these advantage phages have over conventional drugs such as antibiotics, it is important that sustainable phage products are not submitted to the conventional long medicinal product development and licensing pathway. There is a need for an adapted framework, including realistic production and quality and safety requirements, that allows a timely supplying of phage therapy products for 'personalized therapy' or for public health or medical emergencies.
This paper enumerates all phage therapy product related quality and safety risks known to the authors, as well as the tests that can be performed to minimize these risks, only to the extent needed to protect the patients and to allow and advance responsible phage therapy and research.

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2013

P. Fagan, C. Wijesundera

Journal of Separation Science, 10.1002/jssc.201201156

Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids are important bio-active fatty acids in fish oils. Monolithic HPLC columns both in the polymeric cation exchange (silver-ion) and RP formats were compared with corresponding packed columns for the isolation of these acids from tuna oil ethyl esters. Monolithic columns in both formats enabled rapid (typically 5–10 min) separations compared with packed columns (30 min). Polymeric monolithic silver-ion disc column rapidly furnished mixtures of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic esters (90% purity) within 5–10 min, but was unable to resolve individual esters. A preparative version of the same column (80 mL bed volume) enabled isolation (>88% purity) of 100 mg quantities of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic esters from esterified tuna oil within 6 min. Baseline separation of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic esters was achieved on all RP columns. The results show that there is potential to use polymeric monolithic cation exchange columns for scaled-up preparation of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic ester concentrates from fish oils.

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J. A. Martin, P. Parekh, Y. Kim, T. E. Morey, K. Sefah, N. Gravenstein, D. M. Dennis, W. Tan

PLOS ONE, March 2013, Volume 8, Issue 3, e57341

Adverse drug reactions, including severe patient bleeding, may occur following the administration of anticoagulant drugs. Bivalirudin is a synthetic anticoagulant drug sometimes employed as a substitute for heparin, a commonly used anticoagulant that can cause a condition called heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Although bivalrudin has the advantage of not causing HIT, a major concern is lack of an antidote for this drug. In contrast, medical professionals can quickly reverse the effects of heparin using protamine. This report details the selection of an aptamer to bivalirudin that functions as an antidote in buffer. This was accomplished by immobilizing the drug on a monolithic column to partition binding sequences from nonbinding sequences using a low-pressure chromatography system and salt gradient elution. The elution profile of binding sequences was compared to that of a blank column (no drug), and fractions with a chromatographic difference were analyzed via real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and used for further selection. Sequences were identified by 454 sequencing and demonstrated low micromolar dissociation constants through fluorescence anisotropy after only two rounds of selection. One aptamer, JPB5, displayed a dose-dependent reduction of the clotting time in buffer, with a 20 µM aptamer achieving a nearly complete antidote effect. This work is expected to result in a superior safety profile for bivalirudin, resulting in enhanced patient care.

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2011

E. F. Maksimova, E. G. Vlakh, T. B. Tennikova

Journal of Chromatography A, 1218 (2011) 2425-2431

A series of macroporous monolithic methacrylate-based materials was synthesized by in situ free radical UV-initiated copolymerization of functional monomers, such as glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), butyl methacrylate (BuMA), 2-aminoethyl methacrylate (AEMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and 2-cyanoethyl methacrylate (CEMA), with crosslinking agent, namely, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA). The materials obtained were applied as the stationary phases in simple and robust technique – planar chromatography (PLC). The method of separation layer fabrication representing macroporous polymer monolith bound to the specially prepared glass surface was developed and optimized. The GMA–EDMA and BuMA–EDMA matrixes were successfully applied for the separation of low molecular weight compounds (the mixture of several dies), as well as poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and polystyrene homopolymers of different molecular weights using reversed-phase mechanism. The materials based on copolymers AEMA–HEMA–EDMA and CEMA–HEMA–EDMA were used for normal-phase PLC separation of 2,4-dinitrophenyl amino acids and polystyrene standards.

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A. Trauner, M. H. Bennett, H. D. Williams

PLoS ONE 6(2): e16273. doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0016273

We report the development of a rapid chromatographic method for the isolation of bacterial ribosomes from crude cell lysates in less than ten minutes. Our separation is based on the use of strong anion exchange monolithic columns. Using a simple stepwise elution program we were able to purify ribosomes whose composition is comparable to those isolated by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation, as confirmed by quantitative proteomic analysis (iTRAQ). The speed and simplicity of this approach could accelerate the study of many different aspects of ribosomal biology.

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2010

A. Čevdek, M. Franko

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 398 (2010), 555-562

This work presents a comparison of convective interaction media (CIM) and controlled pore glass (CPG) as solid supports for immunoglobulin antibodies used in bioanalytical detection of allergens in foodstuffs. A flow-injection manifold with highly sensitive thermal lens spectrometric detection was used for this purpose. Using beta-lactoglobulin, a milk allergen, as a model analyte, CIM disc supports had a higher linear range (0.2–3.5 μg L-1), better reproducibility (intra-day RSD = 1%, inter-day RSD = 10%), lower consumption of reagents, and better immunocolumn stability (1 month, over 240 injections of substrate), while providing comparable LODs (0.1 μg L-1). Application of CIM discs as solid supports in immunocolumns for allergen detection enables fast and sensitive screening of allergens in foodstuffs with sample throughput of up to eight samples per hour.

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2007

E. Müller, C. Mann

Journal of Chromatography A, 1144 (2007) 30-39(2007) 30-39

The electro-acoustic effects, namely the ion vibration potential (IVP) and the colloidal vibration current (CVI), colloidal vibration potential (CVP) first described by P. Debye [P. Debye, J. Chem. Phys. 1 (1933) 13], are a result of charge separation of bound or free ions at different degrees by ultrasonic waves. Today commercial instruments are available to investigate liquid homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. In the present paper the application of this technique for the characterization of salts, protein solutions and resins for biochromatography is shown and valuable information about resins can be derived in a short time. Various resins were investigated with the following results: (1) the CVI magnitude is dependent of several parameters (such as particle size distribution, volume fraction, density difference); (2) the CVI is influenced by the surface modification of the resins. Polymeric modifications decrease the value of CVI. The CVI is generally lower for high capacity resins; (3) the measurement of the electro-acoustic effects can be used to detect small changes in resins. The CVI is dependent of the amount of adsorbed protein in “native” and denatured state.

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2004

P. N. Nesterenko, M. A. Rybalko

Mendeleev Commun. 2004

The continuous flow gradient and its effect on chromatographic parameters were investigated for the separations of inorganic anions on a monolithic porous disk with bonded hydroxyproline residues.

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2003

E. G. Vlakh, G. A. Platonova, G. P. Vlasov, C. Kasper, A. Tappe, G. Kretzmer, T. B. Tennikova

Journal of Chromatography A, 992 (2003) 109–119

The recently discovered serine protease called tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) enables efficient dissolution of blood clots. t-PA works by converting plasminogen into its active form, plasmin, dissolving the major component of blood clots, fibrin. The activation of plasminogen by t-PA is enhanced by the presence of fibrin, and this is probably due to the fact that both plasminogen and t-PA possess high affinity binding sites for fibrin. Besides fibrin, fibrin monomers and some fibrin(ogen) degradation products, certain synthetic polymers (for instance, poly-l-lysines) can provide the same stimulation of plasminogen activation. The recently developed high-performance monolithic-disk chromatography, HPMDC, could become the most convenient way to study biological pairs of interest. The inherent speed of HPMDC isolation facilitates the recovery of a biologically active product, since the exposure to putative denaturing influences, such as solvents or temperature, is reduced. The better mass transfer mechanism (convection rather than diffusion) allows to consider only the biospecific reaction as time limiting. The step-by-step modeling of hypothetical affinity pairs between t-PA and different types of oligo/polymer forms of linear and branched lysine derivatives obtained both by initiated polycondensation and solid-phase peptide synthesis using HPMDC seemed to be possible and a quite useful tool. The results of quantitative evaluation of such affinity interactions were compared with those established for natural affinity counterparts to t-PA (monoclonal antibodies, plasminogen, fibrinogen). The role of steric structure of lysine ligands was observed and analyzed. The results allowing to make the practical choice of affinity systems will be used for development of fast and efficient analytical and preparative methods for the downstream processes of recombinant production of this valuable enzyme.

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2001

P. Svete, R. Milačič, B. Mitrović, B. Pihlar

The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001, Analyst, 2001, 126, 1346–1354

Analytical procedures were developed for the speciation of Zn using fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC), flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and convective interaction media (CIM) fast monolithic chromatography with FAAS and electrospray (ES)-MS-MS detection. The investigation was performed on synthetic solutions (2 µg cm-3 Zn) of hydrated Zn2+ species and Zn complexes with citrate, oxalate and EDTA (ligand-to-Zn molar ratio 100 : 1) over a pH range from 5.4 to 7.4. It was found that Zn interacts with various buffers and the careful adjustment of the pH with diluted solutions of KOH is, therefore, required. FPLC separations were carried out on a Mono Q HR 5/5 strong anion-exchange column, applying an aqueous 1 mol dm-3 NH4NO3 linear gradient elution over 15 min, at a flow rate of 1.0 cm3 min−1. The separated Zn species were determined in 1.0 cm3 eluate fractions “off line” by FAAS. Speciation of Zn was also performed on a weak anion-exchange CIM DEAE fast monolithic disc by applying an aqueous 0.4 mol dm-3 NH4NO3 linear gradient elution over 7.5 min, at a flow rate of 2.0 cm3 min−1 and determination of the separated Zn species in 1.0 cm3 eluate fractions “off line” by FAAS. Zn-binding ligands in separated fractions were also characterized by electrospray (ES)-MS-MS analysis. The CIM DEAE disc was found to be more efficient in the separation of negatively charged Zn complexes than the Mono Q FPLC column. On the CIM DEAE disc Zn–citrate was separated from both Zn–oxalate and from Zn–EDTA. All these species were also separated from hydrated Zn2+, which was eluted with the solvent front. This method has an advantage over commonly used analytical techniques for the speciation of Zn which are only able to distinguish between labile and strong Zn complexes. Good repeatability of the measurements (RSD 2–4%), tested for six parallel determinations (2 µg cm-3 Zn) of Zn–EDTA, Zn–citrate and Zn–oxalate was found at a pH of 6.4 on a CIM DAEA disc. The limit of detection (3s) for the separated Zn species was 10 ng cm-3. The proposed analytical procedure was applied to the speciation of Zn in aqueous soil extracts and industrial waste water from a lead and zinc mining area.

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